Follower Fail: Like Us ... Or Else

In between creating marketing strategies for clients, launching new projects, and spending time with the hubs and kidlets, I've developed a bit of a secret stress-relief habit that I'm really not too proud of and certainly didn't ever want to share with my friends and clients.

But, for the sake of my clients and helping them learn from bad social media marketing examples, I'm coming clean. Here it goes ...

I am a fan of those certain "real" housewives. Doesn't even matter which town - the OC, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, the ATL, or even the completely dull DC cast, I turn off my brain and happily watch their over-funded, often near-hysterical antics.

In fact, every now and then during the work day, I would even go to a certain gossip website that dished the dirt on the "characters" of the Beverly Hills cast. I liked to quickly peek in there, like when you're on line in the grocery store and you browse the tabloid headlines when you think no one is looking. (Come on, you do, don't you?)

And this is where I encountered that really poor example of social media marketing I mentioned.

After perusing the home page list of salacious headlines, I selected one, clicked, and received the following page:

As you can see, after just a few lines, a little purple ad box with no "close" button covered the copy. Not paying much attention and not even reading the ad box, I back buttoned it to the home page headlines, selected another, clicked, only to have the same thing happen again. Looking at the box more closely, I realized it said this:
Basically, to read the article, the website was forcing me to "like" them on Facebook. Where the whole world would see that not only do I like those real housewives, I tend to frequent a gossip website that discusses their important issues - like getting a nose job before season 7 begins. The humiliation - right?

Then, I began thinking about it like a marketer. First, this little ad was literally forcing me to do something I didn't want to do, giving me a bad feeling about a brand I had been fond of; effectively giving me an instant negative opinion of that brand.

Then I thought, what if you switched the venue from an online site to a brick and mortar store? Say you like specific type of underwear from Kmart, or you like bargains at TJ Maxx, but don't want people to know. One day you go to the store and before you can enter, an associate bars the way and makes you yell at the top of your lungs, "I like Kmart's 100% Cotton Beige Granny Panties and am about to purchase some right now!"

Which brings me to my point - we must always remember that communicating with our target audiences online is as personal an experience as communicating with them in real life, because even though they can't be seen through the monitor, they are still real people.

To be successful in online marketing, the same rules for professionalism, courtesy, and dare I say it, discretion and privacy, must apply when we communicate with customers and potential customers online.

Have you ever had an experience online like this? How did you feel? React?

Five for Friday: Facebook Edition

It's been a while since our last Five for Friday, so we're bringing it back with a special Facebook edition. Here are four informative run-downs of the recent Facebook changes and how they will impact your small business Facebook page. And of course, one fun link. Happy Friday!



"Like" Is Not Enough"
Getting many followers to "like" your page is no longer enough. If you already have a Facebook business page, over the past couple weeks you've probably noticed that announcement telling you that as of October 31, key tab features as Blog, Discussion, and Review are going away. Users can also now click a little tab located to the right of each post, and mark it as a "top story", "hide it", report it as spam, or worst of all, "hide all." Users can now sort their Facebook friends and likes into groups, creating further need for engaging content to win their eyeballs. This means that what was a best practice just a few weeks ago - providing content that users actually want to communicate with - has now become the only way to remain relevant and have your marketing messages touch your consumers. This Mashable article, "What Facebook's Changes Mean for Marketers" is a great overview to what your business page will need to do to move ahead sucessfully on the "new" Facebook.

Contextual Sharing Is Key
Contextual sharing is the buzz phrase of the day, but go ahead try and find a (not so) concise definition of it. Simply put, in the terms of this Facebook discussion, it means that when a Facebook user is using a specific app, such as the digital music service Spotify, they can click a setting prompt once and then each time they listen to Spotify, it shares the title of each song they listen to in the new Ticker in real time. To find out what this can mean for your Facebook page and your followers, here are two great articles, "How Facebook's Features Will Affect Digital Marketers" and "Facebook Changes Again: Everything You Need to Know".

Timeline Will Change the Face of Facebook
Timeline is the new graphic interface/content layout that all Facebook profile pages will soon share. Upgrades include a great new "cover" image in addition to your little profile head shot, a two column content layout, and an actual timeline navigation tool that lets people see a chronological chart of all your Facebook posting.

I downloaded the beta version for my personal profile and think it holds a lot of potential for small businesses.


The whole point of Facebook marketing is to build relationships with your Facebook followers, and the new Timeline offers a wide range of opportunities to do this. To get up to speed on Timeline, try reading "Tell Your Story With Timeline" , "Facebook Timeline" , and "Facebook Timeline Redefines User Profiles". As for the launch date, there is still some mystery around that ...


Subscribe Button, Confuses But Could Be Useful
Have you noticed the new Subscribe button or people complaining about it? Applied on your Facebook page in a strategic manner, it could be a useful way to share secondary content and like followers, in such a way as the "followers" and "following" users features work on Twitter. A great run down of this feature can be found at "Introducing the Subscribe Button" and "Facebook Launches Subscribe Button for Following Anyone's Public Updates".

And Finally, The Fun One!
No matter how Facebook changes, creative geniuses will find fresh and exciting ways to make the best use of those changes - and hopefully inspire you to find new ways to communicate visually through your own Facebook business page. To see the creativity in action, check out "10 Facebook Timeline Designs That Will Blow You Away" and "Facebook Timeline: 10 Stunning Designs".

Cobbler's Shoes and Client Success

There's an old saying along the lines of "the cobbler always has the worst shoes," and if the last post date of this Simple blog is any indication, our Simple shoes are looking a little worn.

It's something I see with my clients all the time - the actual work of customers and sales takes precedence over your own marketing. That's where Simple swoops in, produces great plans and work, and frees up our clients' time to do what they do best.

This week, we're taking the time to do a little marketing for ourselves, by sharing a great case study on the value of living your brand and charitable marketing to create real relationships with your customers.

The Case Study
Insignia Engraving is a company that creates highly detailed engraved stone and glass commemorative items for Virginia Beach military commands and community. The owner/artist is herself prior military and a military spouse, so a huge part of starting her business was to fulfill this brand promise: "for the military by the military". And from the start, a big part of her business plan was to donate part of her sales to charities that support military-related causes.

On August 6, a helicopter carrying 30 SEAL, EOD, and SWCC team members, the majority from the Virginia Beach, was shot down in Afghanistan with all on board lost. This tragedy spurred Insignia Engraving into action to put its time and talent where its mouth was.

Within 24 hours of the tragedy, the owner had created the For The Families They Left Behind fundraising program.

Within 48 hours, we worked together to:
-- Create special products for the fundraiser
-- Program, populate, and launch an online store
-- Work with suppliers to get discounts on materials
-- Add content to the website announcing the fundraiser

Within 72 hours:
-- Create Facebook posts, notes, and links discussing the fundraiser
-- Gather and post links from other Virginia Beach volunteer/fundraising opportunities
-- Placed Facebook ad announcing the fundraiser
-- Update followers on fundraiser sales status

So, what happened? Within six days of launching the fundraiser:
-- Multiple sales of fundraiser items made at local retailer
-- Half a dozen online sales of fundraiser items
-- Insignia Facebook page audience doubled (and continues growing as I type)

But the most important thing that happened is something that you can't measure in analytical terms: Insignia established and grew their relationships in a real, meaningful manner with old and new customers alike.

How? They proved that they are "for the military by the military", not by what they were saying - but by what they were doing. And even more important to those relationships, they gave their customers a way to do something they believed in as well.

So beyond buying a mug - customers and followers became a part of doing something good. Not just by buying a product, but also by following links to learn more about the Navy SEAL Foundation, by learning when a local Sunday school group was gathering donations, by being inspired to donate their time to answer phones at a helpline. By taking a tragedy and becoming a helpful and hopeful part of the community - even from many states away.

The part of all of this that is most remarkable is that huge corporations do charitable marketing all the time, but this particular case study proves that small business owners can it just as effectively; perhaps even more so, as they provide opportunities closer to the source of giving, of local communities, less removed from layers of corporate structure.

Moving forward, Insignia will deepen its relationship with its customers, not because it is a clever marketing scheme, but simply because it is built into this small businesses code of ethics and their marketing has found a way to communicate that code to like-minded customers and potential customers.

It makes you think, doesn't it? What is the brand mantra of your small business? Are you living it? Are you building better relationships with customers with it?

Five for Friday

Time again for the Simple round-up up of this weeks most useful links to small business marketing resources and one fun link to inspire your creative marketing imaginations. Have a great weekend!

Study: Good Customer Service Earns Rewards

Big business is finding out what small business owners have always known: great customer service means more money in your pocket. This MediaPost article reveals the numbers behind that truth. With social media outlets and good old-fashioned interactions, like how you communicate with customers on the phone and in your shop, you have more opportunities than ever to offer excellent customer service - and make more cash.
(Source: MediaPost)

BtoB Networking Secrets of the Fabulously Connected

If you're a business-to-business entrepreneur than this free webinar sponsored by the national chapter of SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) could be an hour well spent toward getting more sales in the door. Led by Jeanne Rossomme (MBA Wharton, 20 years industry marketing experience with Fortune 500 companies) the webinar will cover networking with a purpose and effective networking online. Registration is free and easy; webinar is scheduled for Thursday 12, May at 1:00pm.
(Source: SCORE)

How To Sign Up Users Even Before You Launch

You might not believe this, but if you have an intriguing enough business offering and you announce it in the right way, people will rush to get involved with it, even before its ready to go live. This Mashable article looks at four start-up companies that are using social media marketing to do it and might inspire some good ideas for how your own small businesses can gain new followers.

(Source: Mashable)

How To Poll Customers on Facebook

Want to know what your customers are thinking? Ask them. Last month Facebook made its polling funcaitonality more robust and there are several services available for polling on social media. This Open Forum article shows you not only how to do polling, but how to do it in a strategic way that results in data you really can use to help build better relationships with your customers.
(Source: AmEx Open Forum)

5 Easy Ways to Liven Up Your Facebook Stream

The key thing about social media isn't that its just a new way to reach customers - its a new way to communicate with customers. Not just tell them about your company - but learn more about them and, as a result, create lasting relationships that turn followers into loyal customers. This article offers five "conversation starters" that you may want to try for your small business social media. Just remember: base your conversations on your own branding/marketing strategy.
(Source: AmEx Open Forum)

And now for the fun one:

Can Advertising Be Art?

Way back in 2005, Sony hired ad agency Fallon London to create a spot that would launch their new BRAVIA LCD televisions. The resulting ad was unique for many reasons - it's debut airing ran 2 minutes 30 seconds long, an entire commercial viewing segment, and it literally shows the launch of 250,000 rubber bouncy balls down a San Francisco street. But perhaps the most notable thing about it is it's staying power.

Today, six years after it's initial launch, the ad is often found on Best Ads of the Decade type awards lists and you can find links to dozens of versions on YouTube with tens of thousands of views for each entry. Personally, I tend to re-watch it every month or so and oddly, when my two-year old was having a particularily nasty meltdown the other day, I happened to bring it up on the iPad. It immediatly calmed her down and she watched it twice.

So, we're wondering - can something as seemingly crass as advertising transcend its medium and become something more? Why not take a look in the post below and tell us?

Sony Bravia Ad: Art or Advertising?

Five for Friday

It's hard to compete with streaming Royal Wedding festivities and tornado tragedy in the South, but if you are ready for a coffee break from your coffee break, here are today's Five for Friday:

SCORE Launches New Website

Today SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives) national launches their new website and new branding. SCORE is a free service organization that provides small business owners with expert advice and assistance in starting up and running their companies. The new site features a cleaner, more contemporary look and feel and easy-to-scan copy and navigation. SCORE has also introduced a new theme line, "For the Life of Your Business" which is marvelous because it points to two great facts about the organization: they help bring your business to life when you're just starting out and they provide continued resources and support as your business grows. Yes, Simple is both a client and a fan.
(Source: SCORE.org)

How To Start Marketing on FourSquare

Like Gowalla (which we discussed last week) FourSquare is a location-based app that people use to let their friends and followers know where they are and what they're up to. There are rewards for the users (like badges, awards, and special savings for frequent check-ins) and for business owners alike. With a community of 8 million users, a new interface that makes it easy for businesses to participate, and the fact that it is FREE to use, there are some good reasons why you should consider adding this tool to your small business marketing strategy. This easy-to-follow How To article has screen shots and simple overviews of how and why to use the tool.
(Source: Mashable)

Small Business Marketing and Community Service

"Charitable marketing" is a hot buzz phrase in marketing these days, especially for the "big guys." But chances are, as a small business owner and a part of your community, you've been engaged in charitable marketing for years. Buy an ad for the local high school yearbook? Allow the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts to hawk their fundraising treats in front of your shop? You're doing it. This brief, easy-to-scan article has some good tips for taking it to the next level and some reasons why. (One word of caution though: the article mentions paying bloggers to help you spread the word. Before offering bloggers cash to write about you, make sure you know what their particular policies on the subject are. Many bloggers would consider being paid to write their opinions a conflict of interest.)
(Source: SmallBizTrends)

7 Facebook Contest Ideas for Small Business

When you're creating your social media content strategy, looking for "conversation starters" or ways to engage people into communicating with you is key. This article presents seven fun and effective strategies for doing just that. Again, with minimal cost outlays and a moderate effort posting content and really communicating with your followers, social media proves to be a cost-effective brand and relationship builder that pays off in the long run. In fact, a current Simple client began running a promotion this week that is similar to one of these concepts. We'll be posting her results in a case history soon.
(Source: AmEx Open Forum)

And now for the fun one:

Foodspotting

Whether you're a fanatical foodie or just someone who wants to find the best burger or burrito in your area, Foodspotting is for you. Touted as "a visual guide to good food and where to find it," Foodspotting basically enables people to take and easily upload pictures of their favorite restaurant food to share with their friends and the whole Foodspotting community. With a website, smartphone app, and Facebook page, Foodspotting provides many access points and ways to interact, or play with your food. They also have different themed days and topics, which keeps the content fresh and topical. Bon appetit!

Small Business Spring Cleaning?

In most states (sorry Michigan!) it is finally becoming warm and as they say, spring has sprung. Now that it is here, have you considered doing a little spring cleaning for you small business?

Being organized is a powerful tool that small business owners can use to head toward success, and a good spring cleaning can give you a jump start of motivation for the coming months.

Here are a few short-cuts Simple uses:

List. Before Spring cleaning make a few lists of the different areas of your business that need your attention, such as billing, filling, merchandising, marketing, new business development, purchasing, and so on. Under each heading, bullet point the tasks you need to knock out.

Schedule. Once you have your lists, pick one week and then one hour of each day of that week to devote to knocking out the tasks on your lists. Put it on your schedule for each day.

Prep. Take a look over your lists and see what materials you need. Need more file folders and storage boxes? Jot all the things you need down and make one shopping trip before you begin.

Note. As you are spring cleaning, you'll probably get ideas of things you want to do to move forward in the year ahead. Keep a notepad or iPad handy to jot down your ideas.

Plan. At the end of your week of spring cleaning, review your notes and enter these ideas as action items into your schedule so you actually do act upon them in the coming weeks.

Here's to a successful spring and summer season to our small business owners every where!

Five For Friday

Five For Friday is Simple's new blog feature that presents four bits of small business marketing-related inspiration and one link that's just for fun.

Culled through the week from the resources we use everyday, Five For Friday will strive to fire your imagination and enhance your own small business marketing efforts. And bring you some fun. Here's to Friday!

11 iPad Apps for Meetings And Presentations

Get concise descriptions, feature lists, and pricing for 11 useful apps that can help with your new business and client communication efforts. Simple's favs? Corkulus and Penultimate.

(Source: Mashable)

How To Start Marketing on Gowalla

Gowalla is a location-based service that people use to let their social media followers know where they are and what they're up to. This clearly written how-to provides you with both a overview of the Gowalla services and how you can use them to interact with customers. As the guide says, "Gowalla offers brands seven main ways to connect with its users. As a result, the platform is quite inclusive of just about any type of brand, big or small." Intrigued how you can take advantage? Read on.

(Source: Mashable)

How To Make The Most of Facebook Sponsored Stories

Simply put, Sponsored Stories are a way of advertising to the followers of people who have liked your Facebook page ... your followers' followers. According to the article, "Assuming that someone's friends are in the same demographic, you can reach out to that group of people sharing similiar interests." With camapaign budgets as low as $5 per day, Sponsored Stories are a great entry point for small businesses to get involved with Facebook advertising.

(Source: AmEx Open Forum)

The Wisdom of Friends (And Others Too)

Notice more polls on your friends' Facebook status updates lately? It's because, at the end of March, Facebook rolled out a wider release of its "Questions" feature. The tool let's you pose polls to your followers, getting their feedback and often the feedback of their followers. Could be useful for finding out what your customers really want. The article explains the tool and links to where you can try it and learn more.

(Source: Facebook Blog)

And the fun link ...

First Listen: Bombino, 'Agadez'

If you're in the mood to hear " an ultra-repetitive, almost meditative facsimile of psychedelic rock" sung in the Sub-Saharan Tuareg language of Tamasheq, then you're in luck. NPR provides a free listen of the entire album 'Agadez' by Omara "Bombino" Moctar. Don't let the description scare you off. Listening to the album in the background while writing this, the music is oddly both soothing and energetic.

(S0urce: NPR)

About That "VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE" Going Around Facebook Recently

The world of the Internet in general and Facebook in specific is a world filled with true oddities and full-on hoaxes. Sometimes, based on just the message alone, it can be hard to determine which is which. For example, although it screamed "hoax!", my curious side really wanted that video of a whale blown into a building in Japan to be true.

Recently, a client sent me a message and Facebook event request she had received from a friend entitled:

"PLEASE READ - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE WHO USES FACEBOOK FOR BUSINESS OR PERSONAL REASONS!!"

The message goes on to say that if it seems like FB friends are ignoring you, it is because your "Most Recent" news feed default settings have been changed by Facebook.

Because of the tone of the message, the multiple exclamation points, the all caps title, and the hoax-like dramatic way in which the message is written, my client wondered if the message was true or not.

Turns out, this one is true.

Back in February, when Facebook launched the newest profile page updates, this settings change did actually happen to some users.

Tech-blog Justin's Blog gives a nice, layman's term explanation of what happened and provides supporting links to the Washington Post, AllFacebook blog, and Inside Facebook blog for further details.

If you are experiencing this problem, or didn't even realize the problem the problem was happening to you, the solution is a simple, two second setting change:

1. Click on the Most Recent header on top of your newsfeed to get a drop down menu

2. Click the Edit Options button

3. In the new window that opens, select the Show Posts From option of All of Your Friends and Pages

4. Click Save

If you are a more visual person, here is a handy YouTube video from "Metrotorful" that shows the full message and how to change the settings. (I'll embed the video here in my blog, but am working remotely and the free wireless can't handle the upload.)

Also, if you get the message and you want to pass it on to help out your own friends, consider rewriting the message in your own words or removing some of the drama from the message.

In the meantime, keep bringing the questions!

4 Social Media Pitfalls to Avoid

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... and again ... as a small business owner you are the best person to implement your own social media. Why? You've been talking directly with your customers for as long as you've been in business. You know your business better than anyone because you are the one who created it. You know your branding better then anyone because you created that, too.

All you really need to implement your social media is a little time, a little discipline, and most importantly - a strategic plan.

When small business owners start doing their own social media without these three simple factors, the pitfalls arise. Here are four that are easy to avoid:

Once a Quarter Poster. Relationships are built over time. When you have long gaps of time between social media postings, it is hard to build those customer relationships. It's almost like you're starting over each time; reintroducing yourself, your company, and your marketing.

Hard Sell. You probably wouldn't walk into a social gathering, start handing out business cards without introducing yourself, and without listening to peoples' responses, start shouting at them, "All red shoes are half off, get yours today!" By providing your social media followers with content that allows them to get to know your business better, gives them entertainment or educational value, and invites them to communicate with you in return, you're building better, lasting relationships. Followers will look forward to your postings and interacting with your business - online and in-store.

The Personals. Creating a defined line between your personal social media and your company's social media is important. You as a person have a brand and your business has a brand. While your personality is intertwined with your company's brand, the messages you share with your family and friends are going to be on a different level than those you share with your customers. Over sharing can lead to a perception of a lack of professionalism and most often these posts are not working toward achieving your marketing goals.

Links, Links, and More Links. Sharing information with your customers via expert links that you find helpful, interesting, or in some way in-line with your strategic marketing goals can be a simple and effective content source in your social media. The pitfall is when links become your main source of content. Or the links are commonly found. Or are entirely unrelated to your business and marketing strategy.

It's easy to understand how these pitfalls occur. Almost unanimously, in my first meeting with new clients they say, "We don't know what to write. What will we post each day? Each week?"

Once we create a strategic social media marketing plan for them, and they have the answers to these questions, they begin to feel confident. As they begin to see results, such as a growing number of followers, customers comments, and even sales increases, most begin to look forward to doing their own social media.

Do you have a question about social media pitfalls or problems? Post them in the comments and we'll respond back in our next blog posting.

Facebook HTTP vs HTTPS: The Whole Truth

When on Facebook, have you seen a recent, recurring post that advises you to look at your URL bar and see if it says "HTTP:" or "HTTPS:" and if you only see "HTTP" you can be "hacked"?

While this is partly true, it is also a bit misleading, so we researched some resources, including the venerable hoax busting site Snopes, and here is the whole story.

First, know that HTTP is shorthand for the "language" that is being used between web servers and clients, and anyone that wants to could "eavesdrop" and read that language. HTTPS means that the language is "Secure", meaning the HTTP language has become encrypted with a code that others cannot read.

So, what does this mean on Facebook? According to our sources, the HTTPS is going to be most useful if you are on a shared WIFI network, such as a cafe with Internet connectivity, where there is a technique that can allow nefarious people to hijack session cookies and gain access to your account. The HTTPS will prevent them from doing this.

But here is the rest of the story: Just because you have changed the security setting to HTTPS, you are still not immune from all Facebook security threats. Hoax spotting site That'sNonsense.com recommends not reposting the message in order to avoid lulling friends into a false sense of security.

What does Simple recommend?

1. Be on the safe side and go ahead and change the setting to HTTPS.
2. If you want, tell your friends about the HTTP vs HTTPS, but be sure to also mention it won't protect them from all Facebook security issues.
3. Be aware of posts that may or may not be hoaxes and check them out yourself before reposting or acting on the message. Snopes.com, thatsnonsense.com, and the Facebook group Hoax-Slayer are good resources for hoax checking.

The Next Latest and Greatest?

I haven't posted in a few weeks and the good news is it's because Simple is enjoying a mid-summer downpour of new clients. We'll be launching some exciting new client work soon and will keep you posted when things go live.

In the meantime, I had a great new client question last week that has been bouncing around in the back of my mind, writing itself as a blog post ever since. The client question ...

"Facebook is kind of old. What is the next latest and greatest social media thing?"

Now this is a great question for a few reasons:

Short Shelf Life Spurs Pioneers. The question is indicative of the one-day-lifespan-of-the-housefly type environment in which we marketers and business owners and customers now live. Facebook became a mass marketing tool only about three years ago, give or take a few months. Attention spans are waning, the economy is still a mess, and businesses of all sizes are pretty motivated (perhaps desperate) to find and implement the latest and great tool to win customers and make sales. Businesses are more willing than ever to try new approaches to marketing and customers eagerly looking for deals are open to trying new marketing tools, like Groupon and FourSqauare.

Awareness Into Innovation. The question also points to an expectation - a blind faith really - that there actually is another latest and greatest out there that will serve as the silver bullet that will achieve all marketing goals instantly and with wild success. While somewhat unrealistic, this is good because it means that even small business owners are becoming more aware of social media and smart phone apps and they want to experiment with new things. This demand is helping to spur innovation, both on the part of developers and business owners.

"Old" Doesn't Mean Stagnant. In the case of Facebook, just because it is one of the first and most used social media sites doesn't mean that it isn't constantly evolving. Just this week Facebook added Places, its new location based application designed to compete with FourSquare. At the same time Facebook added new tools for Notes. The week before this, they improved the way you browse Photo albums. Facebook is constantly evolving its functionality and all signs point to the fact that we can expect that to continue.

Before you discard the idea of Facebook as a social media marketing tool because it is "too old", here are a few pointers to make sure you're business page is taking advantage of all Facebook has to offer:

• Focus Your Strategy. Don't just have a business page to have a page. Make it strategic. Make sure the content, images, and voice all work toward reflecting your brand and achieving you marketing goals.
• Mix Your Media. Make your business page come alive with combination of text, video, and images.
• Use Tabs. Take the time to populate your Tabs with strategic, relevant content. Update your Tabs content frequently. Do a little research and create custom Tabs for your page.
• Talk With Friends. The whole point of social media is that it allows your customers to talk directly with you, the business owner. Give your Facebook friends reasons to communicate back with you via your Facebook page.
  
• Stay Current. Visit frequently or friend the Facebook page to get the official latest and greatest news and updates first.

Like I mentioned, this question has so many interesting aspects to consider.

And finally, you still may be asking your self, "Well, what really is the next latest and greatest social media has to offer?" Mashable has five suggestions in their recent piece, 5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now.

Enjoy!

Is your digital advertising alive?

One of the best things to happen to digital media in the past couple of years is how easy it has become to create multi-media content. From adding pictures, movies, or slide shows, the possibilities for creating dynamic content to your website or blog are endless.

And easy. Forget about needing to know how to program. In most cases, with just a flick of the "upload," "copy," and "paste," commands, your content is created, uploaded, and alive.

With all the ease of use, there is just one thing to remember: make it strategic!

Since multi-media content is so simple to use, like social media, it can be all to easy to approach it with a "I'll post it because I can" attitude.

And while it may be a nice decoration to your website or blog, if it is not working toward communicating your particular strategic marketing goals - getting more customers to visit, selling more of a particular product, etc. - it is not working as hard as it can be to bring your small business results.

For this post, I've included a little show that I created in PhotoPeach as an example.

It's Not Rocket Science on PhotoPeach

The Strategy

One of my strategic marketing goals is to get new clients and to do that I usually need to quickly show small business owners what Simple does and how we can be of value to their companies. To that end, the topic of the show I created is to breakdown exactly what Simple does in the most basic way.

The Creative

Content: For the content of the show I used familiar images that I've included on my website, blog, social media, and business identity materials. In this way I am providing viewers with a consistent look and feel that will help make Simple more familiar at a glance. The messaging is also consistent: we take something complicated like marketing and advertising and make it simple for our clients to use with great results. The copy is also simple; short, quick-to-scan sentences that users don't have too work hard to read.

Music: I used the free service of PhotoPeach, so the music is one of the free choices that they offer users. I looked for something light and soothing, but also a song that users are familiar to hearing related on funny content, such as cartoons. Peace of mind and humor are two things I like to bring to clients, so I felt the music worked well for this goal.

Call-to-action: The final slide has the look and feel of the Simple website and the URLs of our website and Facebook pages. In this way, we are inviting users in and giving them an easy way to interact with us further.

Now, Simple can use this content in several ways. We can post it here on the blog and then create a link on Facebook that invited our friends to come take a look and learn more. I can also use it as I'm out and about talking with potential clients. Just flip open the laptop, pull it up, and twenty seconds later I've provided a fun way to explain what Simple does.

Want to learn more about strategically adding multi-media to your advertising efforts? Shoot me an email at julianne@simplesbm.com.

Branding Expert Andrew Sabatier Comments on Yesterday's Post

Yesterday's post, "BP, Branding and ... You?" has generated some positive feedback. First, our Simple Facebook page has received several new friends, which is great and we welcome you.

Also, Andrew Sabatier, the author of the Layars magazine article that I cited in my post, took the time to leave a comment on the Simple blog in response to my post. He mentions a few factors that provide a bigger picture of his thoughts on BP and I wanted to make sure that everyone who read yesterday's post got a chance to read his comments as well:

Hi Julianne

You are correct in your assessment that I wrote the article before the oil disaster for which BP has taken responsibility. Had the accident happened before I wrote the article I would probably have caveated what I wrote more heavily. I would also have emphasised the fact that the leadership who committed themselves to the branding has since been replaced.

I stand by what I wrote. BP is still considered a break-away brand. Now, more than ever, BP's brand identity serves to remind us of the relationship of a company's image to its behaviour. At the risk of loosing all credibility BP now has to demonstrate a renewed commitment to their brand. The branding as it stands in all its apparent falsity will, in all likely-hood, become its saving grace.

I agree with Mr. Sabatier that BP is motivating people - everyday consumers - to think more about a company's image vs. its actual behavior, and that kind of awareness is a very good thing.

Mr. Sabatier's thoughts on BP changing their actual behavior to reflect their green branding also inspires hope; the current BP brand does provide them with a positive direction in which to move. If he is correct and BP can actually manage to put that brand into practice, whether they are sincerly helping out the environment or sincerly trying to save their business, the company actually executing more environmentally friendly business practices is a win for everyone.

Maybe more importantly for you, the small business owner, is whether or not BP can pull this off and illustrate the power of branding. Imagine, if they can go from the exact opposite of what they are today, what could you do with your branding?

One final thought for today: I want to point out that the BP rebranding was just one example in a very thought-provoking six-page article that Andrew Sabatier wrote for the May/June issue of Layers. The article as a whole is really insightful and a recommended read for anyone who wants to get a quick yet thorough overview of branding today.

bp, branding and ... you?

I was reading the latest issue of Adobe Layers magazine over the weekend, mainly because it had a good article on "strategies and realities of successful market branding." Apparently the article had been written pre-BP oil spill, because the first example that author Andrew Sabatier referenced was the BP branding make-over.

With no mention of the spill, Sabatier gamely explained how the BP brand embarked upon an image update in the late '90s. According to the article, BP wanted to shed its imperialist history, take on a more "green" personality, and distance itself from the "petroleum age at its worst."

As a result, BP began to change their outward image, including a fresh new lotus flower shaped logo.

Writes Sabatier of the makeover:

"To some degree, BP may be wearing a mask, but in time the features of the brand will take on the features of the mask. For die-hard eco-warriors, this kind of branding may appear as a superficial greenwash, a false mask, but in the realm of appropriatly mediated brand experiences, BP has now become a breakaway brand, leading by example. BP's transformed brand identify represents a set of ideas that drives an internal and external business culture that envisions a future (B)eyond (P)etroleum."

In light of the company's reality today, day 84 of the oil spill, amidst Presidential investigations and daily media allegations that BP's business practices were habitually unsafe, this trickle-down idea of "if we present ourselves as environmentally conscious company it will become true" would be laughable if it were not so frustrating and sad.

Which brings the subject of branding back to you, the small business owner. The BP example serves as perfect, dramatic example of what not to do in your own branding: don't portray yourself through branding to be something that you are not.

It's pretty simple: Be your brand; not just by what you say or how you look, but by everything that you do.

For example, if part of your branding is that your company is a proud member of your community, make sure you are actually involved in events, groups, and promotions that support the community.

Perhaps Sabatier hits the mark best when he writes "Simply put, a brand identity is a brand strategy made experiential."

For BP, despite their green brand make over, the current "experience" of their brand is the exact opposite of the one they outwardly portrayed.

join me in the small business challenge?

Not to brag, but today I came up with a really inspired marketing idea.

I was on the other side of town and needed some coffee. Really. Needed. Coffee. It had been one of those mad mornings and I hadn't had nearly enough before leaving the house. I thought over my options based on location and decided to skip the big chain cafe I usually visit and went to a local coffee shop called Bad Ass Cafe* instead.

While Bad Ass Cafe is a franchise, the one at the beach in Virginia Beach is the only one in Hampton Roads. It has a unique local, beachy feel. The staff were friendly and wearing whatever they wanted to wear. There was no obnoxious music playing. And my cafe au lait and breakfast wrap were delicious and reasonably priced. Best of all down at the beach - free parking.


So, there I was mid-sip of my delicious cafe au lait with Kona dark roast and it hit me - if I'm going to talk the small business talk, I want to do the walk, too.

And that is how I came up with the inspired idea of the the Small Business Challenge.

Want to join me? Here are the Small Business Challenge objectives:

1. Replace. Each week replace 5 big brand businesses that you use with local, privately owned small businesses.

2. Comment. On your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever your social media marketing tool of choice, comment on your experiences. Tell which big brand shop you passed up and discuss the small business you chose instead.

3. Review. Share your experience at the small business via Yelp or any other reviewing site or tools. In this way, you can give the owner feedback while promoting their small business to other potential customers.

Now, when it comes to grocery shopping and items you can purchase at Target, using small businesses could be tricky and require some online searching on our part. Perhaps it will mean visiting more than one store to get what we need. And I'll admit it, one of my main concerns as a consumer is cost. Will it be more expensive to use local businesses?

I'm looking forward to finding out the answer to all of these questions and hope you are too.

After all, if you try it for a week or so, what do you have to lose? And, in the long run we're going to be supporting our local businesses and make our communities stronger.

So join me in the Small Business Challenge in your neighborhood and keep me updated with your experiences.

*Please note: Bad Ass Cafe is NOT a client. This is an honest review from an actual customer - me.

what makes a creative idea "good"?

Have you ever wondered why some creative ideas flourish while others fizzle? Being in the advertising business for a living, it's something I've given a lot of thought.

Over the years, I've seen ideas that were truly awful take off and I've seen really imaginative creative ideas die before even being presented. And then there are ideas that fall somewhere in the middle; ideas that are not all that great, but they get the job done by earning results, though not accolades or awards.

Working with clients on developing creative ideas for their advertising executions recently got me thinking about the question again - what really does make an idea for creative advertising "good"?

Simply put, here are some key factors:

Stratagy. The most important component of all. Having a passionate delivery of a new idea is good but when you can support that excitement and clearly articulate why the idea is strategic and will achieve your marketing objectives, you know that on some level the idea will be successful.

Nurtured. An idea needs to be nurtured carefully and allowed to take root and grow a bit before it is shared. Former Hallmark greeting card executive creative Gordon MacKenzie very eloquently discusses this point throughout his amazing book on corporate creativity, Orbiting the Giant Hairball.

Delivery. Sometimes it's all in how you deliver the idea. I've been in brainstorms where someone would blurt out the craziest, most absurd idea, but because they were excited and enthusiastic about the idea we listened, got excited, and got on board too.

Levels. Years ago a mentor explained this one to me. If the idea works on more than one level, such as in the abstract as well as the literal, or if it is culturally relevant, or if it has double meaning (or for some clients double entendre) it is more complex and will tend to engage people more deeply.

Buy-in. Often who supports your idea can be just as powerful as the idea itself. When people you respect or have sway in your industry like and back your idea, it not only supports the idea, it will give you the confidence to be fearless and execute the idea with passion.

Fearlessness. New ideas tend to make people uncomfortable. As a small business person, venturing your time or money on a creative advertising idea that has never been done by you or anyone in your industry is intimidating. If there is marketing strategy behind the idea, be fearless and let it loose.

Confidence. Just because you are not an advertising executive doesn't mean you aren't creative. You know your customers best. With a little coaching, research, and inventiveness you can gain the confidence you need to develop creative ideas that encompass all of these points.

do you have a mentor?

Sometimes owning and operating a small business seems like working in a vacuum. If you're a sole proprietor, you often don't have someone knowledgeable in your business to bounce ideas off and get reliable feedback. Or, you're so busy working on the day-to-day, you don't take time to look at the big picture. That's where the small business mentor can help.

When I was just starting Simple, I was lucky enough to stumble across SCORE, the Service Core of Retired Executives. I was even luckier when I was randomly assigned my mentor, an IT and marketing genius who pioneered early computers, opened trade agreements between the US and Asia, worked in the White House, and then founded a company that invented computer software that you've probably used at least once today.

I meet with my mentor each week. He's advised me on nuts and bolts tasks like developing my business plan and wading through cash flow spreadsheets. But the most valuable service he's provided is getting me to look at my business sideways, and upside down, and five years from now.

In the next week, I'll be rolling out some updates to Simple that have come out of our work together. None of my core services have changed, but the way I'm presenting them and pricing them have. Simpler and cheaper are the keywords, and those are two words that any small business owner likes to hear.

Find Your Mentor
If you don't have a mentor, here are some resources that can help you find one:

SCORE: A nationwide organization of retired C-level executives who provide free and confidential advice for entrepreneurs. 364 offices nationwide. Get started with the 60-Second Guide to Finding a Mentor, a quick tip sheet on how to find a mentor - online or face-to-face - that is right for you.

SCORE for Women Entrepreneurs: A part of SCORE run by retired female executives. Provides same SCORE expertise specifically for woman-owned small businesses.

Small Business Development Centers: A list of SBDC's compiled by the US Small Business Administration. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations.

Office of Entrepreneurial Development: Also presented on the USBA website, the OED offers resources such as entrepreneurship education and the small business training network.

sneak peek

Here's a little teaser of the mini-makeover Simple is undergoing this week. It will be "launching" soon ... enjoy the weekend! 

do you talk back?

There's this blog I've been reading for several years now. It is a humorous blog and the author re-caps a Bravo TV show I like. The author always makes me laugh, really laugh, when I read it. I even read it when I lived overseas and couldn't watch the show just because I love his sense of humor. So, a night ago, after reading a particularly hilarious post, I left a comment thanking the author for his recaps.

Today he sent me an email back thanking me for being a reader.

I couldn't believe it. The writer of my favorite blog took the time to email me back just to say thanks.

Which brings me to this post's point: when you do social media it opens the door for two-way conversation. Which is really the whole point of getting it involved in social media in the first place. So when someone leaves you a comment or interacts with you - are you talking back?

When a person takes the time to interact with your social media, that is a pretty good indication that they are engaged with your messaging. Simply put: it means your marketing is working. And it opens the door for you to continue to build a relationship with that person. Meaning, although they may not be a purchaser at the moment - there is a strong opportunity that they will be soon.

So, how can you really listen to and communicate people who are talking with you on social media? Here are some ideas:

Thank Them. When people like your Facebook page, follow your blog, leave you a review on Yelp, follow your Twitter account, whatever the interaction may be, take the time to say thanks. Technically it's possible to set up auto-responding but, especially for small businesses, I recommend taking the small amount of time necessary to leave them a short personal note. For example, your note could say something like, "Hi Diane. Thanks for following me on Facebook. If there are any topics you'd like to know more about please let me know and I will do a posting soon." As you can see, this also gives you the opportunity to draw them into further conversation and participation.

Reward Them. In addition to a personal note consider giving people who interact with your social media unadvertised, exclusive rewards. Maybe you respond to them with a special offer or a drastically reduced price on something that you know they are interested in from their comments. Surprising people with a reward can go a long way in building customer loyalty and word of mouth.

Like Them Back. For example, when someone follows you on Twitter, take the time to check out their Twitter account and follow them. Same for those with Facebook pages or blogs. In this way, you're learning more about that person from their posting while also putting your link in front of their readers. Once you follow them, make a point of commenting on Tweets or writing postings that are related to your small business or things you are really interested in, furthering your communication with that person.

Make a Negative a Positive. What about the occasional negative commenter? At first glance, you might have the urge to delete the comment or ignore it, but a negative comment actually provides you with a great opportunity to turn things around. You probably wouldn't let an unhappy customer storm out of your shop or store without responding to them at all and the same is true on social media. Take the time to respond back and get more information on what their negative experience was. Then, determine how to fix the problem. Once it is fixed and the person is happy, you could even ask them to post again telling how the situation was resolved.

These are just a handful of ideas and you are sure to come up with more that suit your particular brand, business, and marketing strategy.

As a small business owner you are an expert in communicating with the people who come into your real-world business. By practicing the same communication style you have in the real world in your social media, you have a lot of new opportunities to grow customer loyalty, top-of-mind awareness and even generate sales.